West Seattle, Washington
28 Tuesday
The West Seattle Thriftway silver-anniversary shopping-spree raffle became a double gift to the West Seattle Food Bank. Not only did the store donate the $2,200 in ticket sales, the man whose ticket was drawn for the spree donated most of his take, too. Rob Dent managed to load up with $425 worth of Western Family products during his 4-minute spree this morning – here’s a bit of video as he went after the frozen food:
Before his four-minute spree, Rob got to go through the store with assistant manager Steve Kamphaus:
Rob sought out some specific items the Food Bank needed, after conferring with them to see what was most in demand – those items included bags of sugar; note them on the checkout counter here:
Of the few things he kept … one was a new stuffed friend for his daughter Sofia, who was guarding it closely while in the arms of mom Naomi:
P.S. In addition to food and money donations like today’s double gift – which counts extra since the Feinstein Challenge is still on till month’s end – Food Bank executive director Fran Yeatts (in the group photo, helping hold the check, along with board members and Thriftway team members) tells us they need VOLUNTEER HELP! Here’s how (and when) you can get involved.
More than 40 of your friendly neighborhood Junction merchants have smiles and deals for you today – the West Seattle Junction Association‘s annual 10-percent-off “Tax-Free Day.” For example – in the mood for flowers, or indoor-garden items? Go see proprietor Sam and assistant Devon at Fleurt (4536 California SW; WSB sponsor). As mentioned here on Friday, Fleurt is celebrating Earth Day this weekend too; bring in a planter or vase to recycle and you’ll get a mini-plant in exchange. Across the street, we stopped by Jan’s Beauty Supply:
Alissa, Sheri, and Melanie are there to help you have a beautiful Tax-Free Day – Jan’s merchandise includes jewelry and other items beyond their many lines of personal-care products. Head for The Junction, look for red balloons outside participants’ storefronts (they’re listed here too), and have fun while supporting your local independent businesses (including some food/drink establishments with deals, too).
Coast to coast, it’s Record Store Day. Above, we found Seamus Dolan at West Seattle’s Easy Street Records, explaining that while its Queen Anne sister store is gone, it’s not forgotten – he is making and selling record crates made from its old fixtures (as explained on the official ESR Record Store Day preview). Inside Easy Street, lots of music fans:
While we were there, people weren’t just lined up for the only-on-RSD specials, they also were lined up for autographs during a one-hour Mad Season signing session this morning with Mike McCready and Barrett Martin:
Find more of what’s happening now – and has happened already today – on Easy Street’s Twitter feed.
More than half a million classrooms around the country are reading about West Seattle’s seal pups and young Seal Sitters 
volunteers who help watch out for them. They’re the cover story of the Earth Day edition of Scholastic News, as Seal Sitters‘ Robin Lindsey reports on Blubberblog. As she points out, Seal Sitters is “one of the few marine-mammal stranding networks that encourage children to join …”; a third-grader volunteer named Noemi is shown in the Scholastic News story. Robin tells WSB, “Noemi and our kid Seal Sitters inspire us all!” (To find out how to volunteer – and how to reach Seal Sitters if you spot a marine mammal on a local beach – go here.)
(Photo by Val, from Roxhill playground’s “soft open” Tuesday)
Another day/night with lots of options – highlights from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar include these (and follow that link to the calendar for even more):
DAKOTA PLACE PARK CLEANUP: Rain or shine, 9 am-noon, California/Dakota. What should you bring? Details here.
BAKE SALE FOR PUGET SOUNDKEEPER ALLIANCE: Shanti Salon and Spa (2138 California SW; WSB sponsor) opens at 9 am, and it’s the second of three days for its benefit bake sale to assist Puget Soundkeeper Alliance – here’s our preview.
JUNCTION TAX-FREE DAY: Support your friendly neighborhood independent local businesses – more than 40 places to find a discount and/or deal starting at 10 am today – look for merchants sporting one or more red balloons outside! Or – check the list here on the West Seattle Junction Association website, to see who’s picking up the tax bill with a 10 percent discount and who’s offering specials (including food and drink).
RECORD-STORE DAY: It’s the national day to celebrate independent record stores – and West Seattle is home to the legendary Easy Street Records, which has deals and sales planned throughout the day – check them out here.
DUWAMISH ALIVE! Work parties from Pigeon Point Park to Tukwila, 10 am-2 pm, as part of the twice-yearly event to care for the Duwamish River and its watershed. Here’s the map:
Events include a noon program at Herring’s House Park/T-107 in West Seattle, with speakers to include Duwamish Tribe chair Cecile Hansen.
LINCOLN PARK BEACH CLEANUP: Puget Sound’s shore needs some TLC too, and this work party is planned to help with that, 10 am-12:30 pm – details here.
SHOPPING-SPREE WINNER GOES FOR IT: Be at West Seattle Thriftway (California/Fauntleroy/Morgan; WSB sponsor) at 10 am to cheer for Rob Dent, who won the big prize Thriftway gave away as part of its 25th anniversary celebration raffle to raise money for the West Seattle Food Bank, a four-minute, up-to-$500 Western Family shopping spree. More info in our preview.
ROXHILL CASTLE, SKATEPARK DEDICATION: 11 am-2 pm, join the party at Roxhill Park (29th/Barton), as the newly renovated playground and newly built skatepark are both dedicated and formally opened. Ceremony at 12:30 pm, but lots of other fun before and after, as explained by Seattle Parks and Rec here.
YOUTH CELEBRATION: For teens and tweens, at Southwest Teen Life Center, noon-4 pm – details here.
TRIVIA CRAWL: Starting at 3 pm, in The Admiral District – details here (including how to sign up).
ART EHRMANN CANCER BENEFIT @ EAGLES: 4th annual fundraising event, with dinner, music, and an auction, and the public is welcome to come help raise money to fight cancer, 5:30 pm at the West Seattle Eagles‘ HQ in The Junction – details on this flyer, via Facebook.
SEATTLE RAINMAKERS’ DEBUT: West Seattle is now home to the Seattle Rainmakers professional Ultimate (Frisbee) team, with the season’s first home game tonight at 7 at Southwest Athletic Complex (2801 SW Thistle) – details here.
‘CHARLIE BROWN’: Second-to-last show for Twelfth Night Productions‘ “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown” at 7:30 tonight:
Tickets are available online.
Preschool options in West Seattle include community-center-based programs, like the one Wendy wants you to know about:
Bright Beginnings Preschool is operated by the Associated Recreational Council in partnership with the Seattle Parks and Recreation. We are located in the Hiawatha Community Center and serve children ages 3 through 5 years of age, with a teacher-child ratio of 1:8. We provide a safe, happy, healthy, learning environment that fosters a love of learning for all the children in the program. Our program meets the developmental needs of young children, focusing on emotional, social, physical, and cognitive skills. The children in the program are provided with rich environments with fun-filled learning areas, consistent schedules and routines, large and small group times, and outdoor play.
Bright Beginnings Preschool is currently accepting enrollment for the Fall 2013/2014 school year. Please contact the Preschool Director with any questions, or to set up a tour of the program – 206-321-3187 or wendy.westover@seattle.gov.
(Clip from last year’s edition of ‘The Mama-logues’)
It’s a good time and a good deed – your ticket to “The Mama-logues: A Comedy about Motherhood,” next Friday and Saturday (April 26-27), 7 pm each night, at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center in North Delridge. Here’s what it’s all about:
Now in its second raucous year, The Mama-logues: A comedy about motherhood, is two hours of spit-your-beer-out-funny in celebration of motherhood! Local actors will be doing staged readings from mom-tastic blogs, books and articles
including Ellen Degeneres, Moms Who Drink and Swear, The Bloggess, Samantha Bee, Rants from Mommyland, Haiku Mama and many others! And oh yes, the dance pieces! Stand aside, Lady GaGa! Here comes ‘Bad Mom Pants.’ Oldies Queen fans may also be treated to a reprise of ‘Mommy Rhapsody.’
Beer, wine, non-alcoholic drinks and a wide array of desserts and swag will be offered for sale at the event. Bring your girlfriends, be they mamas or not! Heck, you can bring your man-friends! There is a little something for everyone to laugh at in this show.
New for 2013: The SHOUT-OUT!
Want to give a ‘Shout-Out’ to a mom you know and love? For $50, we will include a photo of your mom pal and a message to her in the video portion of the show. For $100, we’ll include her photo and message in the video and strategically insert her name as a character in the performance! Send an electronic photo of the mom (or moms – you can include yourself!), the message exactly as you would like it to appear in the show, and the evening your ‘Shout Out’ Mom will be attending, to Laurie Levy at laurie@laurielevy.net.
All proceeds benefit WestSide Baby and Open Arms Perinatal Services; get your $15 tickets online right now by going here.
P.S. While it’s about motherhood, it’s not for the littlest members of your family – it’s recommended for ages 13 and up.
If you like to plan ahead – Our Lady of Guadalupe School is looking right now for adult volunteer tutors who can help out starting this fall. Here’s the request:
Adult volunteer tutors are needed in the fall for OLG School’s after-school tutoring program. The program meets on most Wednesdays of the school year from 2:15-3pm and pairs tutors with 1-2 students in grades 1-5. Tutors help students with reading, math, and/or writing skills.
The school has a strong need for math tutors for grades 4 and 5, but needs other grades and subjects as well.
Previous experience helpful but not required. Training is provided. Called to Protect and background check are both required.
For more information please contact Katie Bucy, Early Intervention Specialist, kbucy@guadalupe-school.org , 206-935-0651 extension 127 or visit this website.
The program has been in existence since the fall of 2000, and serves approximately 50 students each year.
6:01 PM: Seattle Police are checking out what’s described as an unattended briefcase at 34th and Kenyon. This comes a short time after a suspicious item was checked out downtown – SPD tweeted about that one – and turned out to be nothing.
6:29 PM: Same thing here – while we had sidetracked to check out a car crash reported to be blocking traffic nearby, this scene cleared, uneventfully.
BIG day on Saturday in The Junction:
TAX-FREE DAY: It’s an April tradition – big day of discounts, with participating businesses pledging 10 percent off, to, in effect, pick up the tax bill. The updated list of participants is here – note that along with 10%-off retailers, the list includes food and drink establishments that are offering special deals.
EARTH DAY: Both tomorrow and Sunday, Fleurt (WSB sponsor) is celebrating Earth Day (weekend) by giving you a free mini-plant if you recycle a vase or planter.
RECORD STORE DAY: Always a big day at Easy Street Records, but even bigger this year because their original West Seattle store is now their one and only. Lots of special features during the day – here’s the update they just e-mailed.
A two-part announcement from Delridge Grocery – first, it’s their regular monthly meeting on Monday (April 22nd), 6:30 pm at Delridge Library (5423 Delridge Way SW), with a call for volunteers – people to help at a community event, talk with their neighbors, and otherwise help as the DG team works toward its future storefront. They’re also putting out a call for donated items to sell at their benefit sale on West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day, which is three weeks from tomorrow. You can arrange for pickup or dropoff by contacting them at delridgegrocery@gmail.com (and/or, go to Monday’s meeting and connect with DG leadership there).
2:02 PM: If you’ve driven Fauntleroy Way north of Lincoln Park this afternoon, you might have wondered what this green spot is about. It traces back a few hours to a report of a possible sinkhole in the road; police had the southbound lane blocked for a while till it could be checked out. The green is from a test that road/utility crews have done to try to trace the problem and see what needs to be done next. Safe for now, they said while we were there, but we’ll be checking back at the scene and with SDOT as the afternoon goes on.
3:03 PM UPDATE: From Marybeth Turner at SDOT: “Our Street Maintenance staff have determined this is not a sink hole, but more of a surface defect, and the street can be open to traffic for now. We plan to repair the pavement when the weather and the pavement are dry.”
Sea lions on a buoy in the bay are among the sights Puget Soundkeeper Alliance volunteers (like Tom Foley, who shared the top photo) see when they go out on patrol. Often, the sights are less pleasant – pollution pouring from an outfall, litter floating on the water (though Tom reported a little less of that during the recent patrol). Even if you can’t get out on the water and take action, you can support the Soundkeepers’ work today through Sunday by stopping by Shanti Salon and Spa (WSB sponsor) for their benefit bake sale – with treats like these, made by members of the Shanti team:
Shanti is on the north end of The Admiral District, at 2138 California SW, open until 7 pm today, 9 am-7 pm on Saturday, 10 am-6 pm on Sunday.
We’ve already featured upcoming opportunities for shredding and non-routine recycling – If you’re planning (or doing) spring cleaning, here’s a chance to recycle clothes! West Seattle Brownie Troop 43779 invites you to drop off donations for its clothing drive; they’re getting the word out now so you can save up items you might otherwise dispose of:
Clothing Drive – Week of April 29th through May 4th
Please bring your gently used clothes to the collection box out in front of the Gatewood Elementary office.
Spring cleaning? Brownie Troop #43779 community service project is collecting used clothes for the Northwest Center!
Saturday, May 4th: General public clothing drop off in Gatewood’s back parking lot (California Ave SW and SW Frontenac) from 11 am – 1 pm
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reports to share this morning, plus a followup with some good news, and a chance to get educated about crime prevention. First, a burglary reported by Sharon:
There was a break-in on the 6300 block of 50th Av SW (Thursday). A dark green or dark blue car that looks like a older-model Toyota Camry was seen canvassing the neighborhood earlier in the week and (Thursday) morning. The same description of a vehicle was seen in Arbor Heights the day a recent (burglary) took place. Please ask neighbors to make sure to lock their doors, windows, & remove belongings from their cars. And, importantly, to note the license plate number of any suspicious vehicles hanging around their street.
Next, a car prowl reported by Michael:
Just want to give my neighbors a heads-up: I’m in the 50xx block of Waite Street and sometime between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, my Honda Odyssey minivan was broken into. The car was parked directly in front of my house and there were no signs of forced entry. My fear is that I left the doors unlocked. Not sure what they were looking for, but they made off with a few music cd’s, video dvd’s, a set of Rosetta Stone Italian Language disks, and the car’s owners manual folder. This last item is the most concerning as I had my car insurance and registration forms inside that folder too. They were discerning thieves though. I found a few of the dvd’s they didn’t want to keep thrown in my bushes a few yards away. I assume they don’t have children, because they didn’t keep the Magic School Bus or Saigwa dvd’s.
And we have some good news – Miranda and her husband have their moped back, and want to say a big public THANK YOU to the person who found it in the Alki area, not far from where it was stolen (as reported here Tuesday); after the finder matched it to the photo published here, a moped reunion ensued.
P.S. Want to find out simple ways to prevent/reduce crime around your home/apartment? Come to the West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network meeting next Tuesday (April 23rd), 6:30 pm at the Southwest Precinct meeting room (off Webster just west of Delridge) to see Officer Jon Kiehn‘s renowned presentation on CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design). Here’s more info on the WSBWCN website.
From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
‘OUR STORIES, OUR VOICES’: The monthly storytelling event sponsored by Trusted Advocates features Mohamed Ali from the Somali community. It’s at the White Center Community Cultural Center in South Delridge (9421 18th SW), starting with a light meal at 6 pm, storytelling at 6:30 pm, details here.
HIGHLAND PARK MOVIE NIGHT: See “The Sound of Music” for free at Highland Park Improvement Club (12th/Holden); doors open at 6:30 pm, movie at 7, no admission charge but concessions will be sold.
‘YOU’RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN’: Second and final weekend for the Twelfth Night Productions presentation starts with a 7:30 pm show tonight at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW).
LIVE MUSIC: Venues on the calendar for tonight include C & P Coffee Company, Feedback Lounge (both WSB sponsors), Kenyon Hall, The Cask, Skylark Café and Club, OutWest Bar, and The Benbow Room – individual listings are all here.
(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
Sorry for the late start here. This past hour, there was a car-fire call on the westbound Spokane Street Viaduct – someone sent this photo:
The 911 log shows fire units have cleared, though we don’t know if there’s still a blockage in the area. We’ll be checking with Seattle Fire to confirm what the log also suggests, no serious injuries, since no medic unit was dispatched.
Otherwise, it’s a rainy commute; last day of spring break for Seattle Public Schools, so traffic will be back to the usual levels on Monday.
10:12 AM UPDATE: WSDOT reports a three-vehicle crash on southbound 99 just north of downtown that might close the Battery Street Tunnel.
If you’ve been storing shred-ready documents, waiting for your chance, here it comes. Real-estate team Dale and Roger from IHeartWestSeattle.com are co-sponsoring a free document-shredding event at C & P Coffee Company on Saturday, April 27th. A mobile shredding setup will be on site to take care of your shreddables while you hang out and have some coffee; Dale and Roger will be happy to answer questions about real estate, and they’ll be joined by Hans from Cobalt Mortgage – no obligation, though, they promise, just come on by for safe and secure free shredding. 9 am-1 pm April 27 at 5612 California SW. (IHeartWestSeattle.com and C & P Coffee are both WSB sponsors.)
Our local orcas have cousins all over the world! Find out about them during the fourth event in The Whale Trail‘s series of presentations: “Uko Gorter: Orcas of the World – An overview of the diversity of Orcinus orca.” It’s one week from tonight, according to the official announcement:
Orcas (killer whales) are one of the most widespread mammals in the world. Like humans, they exhibit unique cultural and even morphological differences.
Join us for this presentation by scientific illustrator Uko Gorter (also the president of the American Cetacean Society’s Puget Sound chapter), who will discuss the diversity of orcas around the globe. Spectacular photos highlight the subtle (and not so subtle) difference in appearance, unique behavior, and prey preferences between the many orca populations. Some differences are so great, they may lead to a taxonomic revisions and determination of new species and/or subspecies of orca. Uko will also discuss his collaboration with with biologists Bob Pitman, John Durban, and Andy Foote to create a poster of orca ecotypes and forms.
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Where: C & P Coffee Company, 5621 California SW
When: Thursday April 25, 7 – 9 (doors open 6:30)
Cost: $5 suggested donation, kids free.
–Tickets available at brownpapertickets.comBuy tickets early and we will save you a seat! The event also features updates from Robin Lindsey (Seal Sitters), and “Diver Laura” James (tox-ick.org and Puget Soundkeeper Alliance), and photography and art from Judy Lane and Mike Russell.
(TOPLINE: After a 2 1/2-hour meeting, the citywide Design Commission gave the project the first of two approvals it must confer before its “alley vacation” can be approved)
1:43 PM: We’re at City Hall for the Seattle Design Commission‘s second review of the 4755 Fauntleroy Way megaproject – and there’s even a bigger crowd than there was for the 1st review in March. The Design Commission does not review the entire project – their scope is to decide if it has “urban design merit” and “public benefits” worthy of city approval for the “alley vacation” that is part of the project. The presentation is starting with architect Bill Fuller recapping some of the key points of the 372-apartment, 60,000-square-feet-of-retail, 70-foot-high project. Key commission concerns the first time included how the “mid-block connector” through the two-building project would be configured. Fuller also notes that the plan for the “iconic corner” at Fauntleroy/Alaska is “under construction” since there was so much feedback to incorporate from the Southwest Design Review Board.
1:55 PM: Fuller is showing the newest version of the mid-block connector, which will incorporate more of a “city sidewalk” design. The west side of it will be narrower, so there’s more room for planters. That side also will include bicycle parking. There’ll be a six-inch-high concrete curb along the sidewalk side of the mid-block connector for people walking between the west and east sides (Fauntleroy and 40th SW). Next to the Whole Foods loading dock, which is enclosed and behind doors, there’ll be a raised crosswalk that will be “one more speed bump” as Fuller put it. There remains a drive-through for the tenant-not-yet-announced drug store, and Fuller is explaining why that’s needed – using the example of a parent driving up with a screaming, sick child in the car, needing to pick up some medication, wanting a “more private” transaction with the pharmacy. The rendering includes the re-created mural from the existing site, on the side of the drugstore, on the lane leading up to the drive-through, as Fuller shows a more detailed look on how the drive-through’s traffic will work.
He says there’s no way that cars can or would drive fast at that spot.
*EDITOR’S NOTE, POST-MEETING – THE REST OF OUR AS-IT-HAPPENED NOTES FROM THE MEETING ARE AFTER THE JUMP*
Way back in December, we told you about Furry Faces Foundation collecting ‘gently used’ women’s shoes for a first-of-its-kind auction event, Heels for Hounds. Now, the event is just days away – this Sunday (April 21) – and F3 is still accepting donations:
The Heels For Hounds weekend has arrived! We have somewhere between 150 – 200 pairs of shoes for the auction, with more being donated every day. In fact, folks can bring gently worn shoes to the event!
Donation locations before then:
• Ola Salon: 2942 Avalon Way SW; 206-933-6702; www.olasalon.com
• Clementine Shoes: 4447 California Ave SW; 206-935-9400; www.clementines.com
• Hotwire Online Coffeehouse: 4410 California Ave SW; 206-935-1510; hotwirecoffee.com
• The Wash Dog: 6400 California Avenue Southwest; 206-935-4546; www.thewashdog.comAre you ready for shoe bidding wars? We hope so. Here is the event info:
Heels For Hounds Silent Auction & Animale Wine Tasting (Benefiting Furry Faces Foundation)
Date: April 21
Time: 3 pm – 6 pm
Location: Ola Salon, 2942 Avalon Way SW
Admission Donation: $15.00 (provides appetizers and wine sampler)
Wine by the glass: $8
For event updates before Sunday, keep an eye on F3’s Facebook page, here.
(Machinery photographed at Highway 99 tunnel launch-pit site by Don Brubeck)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The Highway 99 tunneling machine is here, and being re-assembled. But once it goes into the ground, it won’t be “out of sight, out of mind” by any means.
Drivers and bus riders, in particular, might wind up noticing in a big way:
WSB has learned that the Alaskan Way Viaduct might close for an unspecified amount of time later this year when the machine arrives 80 feet below what remains of the elevated roadway, despite the work that’s been done to reinforce it so it could stay “safely open” during the tunnel construction.
Back on April 7th, we published Chief Sealth International High School football head coach Luther Carr III‘s call for pledges as his players prepared to participate in the MS Walk to help fight multiple sclerosis. Now that the big event is past, he wanted to share public words of thanks (and the team’s photo from MS Walk day):
Chief Sealth International Football would like to thank all of our community, family, and friends who assisted in our efforts to raise money for MS (multiple sclerosis). Along with thousands of others in the State of Washington we raised funds and walked on April 14, 2013, to find a cure for a world free of MS. At least 12,000 people in our Northwest community are living in chronic pain because of MS. Ridding the world of MS is a great cause, and our student-athletes learned a great lesson, giving back! Thank you again and Go Seahawks!!
According to the team’s page on the MS Walk site – where you can still make a donation – they raised more than four times their goal!
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